Celebrated every April
22, Earth Day is the
largest, most celebrated
environmental event
worldwide.

Earth Day
is celebrated in many
countries on the Vernal
Equinox (March 20th
or 21st)
which marks the moment
that
Spring begins in the
Northern Hemisphere and
Autumn in the
Southern Hemisphere. In
the United States and
several other countries,
Earth Day is primarily
celebrated on April 22nd
of each year.

The concept of Earth
Day began in the spring
of 1970. Exactly how and
when it was conceived,
as well as who was
responsible for its
origination, is still
debated.

VERNAL EQUINOX EARTH DAY

The first celebration of
Earth Day was on March
21, 1970 as a day to
celebrate the natural
wonders of our planet
and to think about
Earth's tender seedlings
of life. This
celebration was first
proposed by John
McConnell in early
October 1969 in San
Francisco, California.

UN Secretary General
U Thant supported John
McConnell’s global
initiative and spoke in
its behalf at a Peace
Bell Ceremony at the
United Nations on March
21, 1971. The United
Nations Earth Day
ceremony continued each
year with the ringing of
the U.N. Peace Bell at
the precise moment of
the Equinox, followed by
two minutes of silent
prayer or reflection.

The Earth Society is
largely responsible for
these ceremonial
activities. One of the
member nations of the
United Nations arranges
to sponsor the event.
Corresponding ceremonies
are held at the same
time in various cities
around the world.

APRIL 22nd
EARTH DAY

The common April 22nd
celebration of Earth Day
was also first
celebrated in 1970. This
event, spearheaded by
Wisconsin Senator
Gaylord Nelson and
Harvard University
student Denis Hayes,
involved teach-ins that
addressed decades of
environmental pollution.

The first event was
observed by twenty
million Americans, most
of them students.
Arbor Day activities
were modified to
emphasize the critical
importance of the
environment and to make
the American public
aware of the destruction
of the earth's natural
preserves. The sponsors
hoped to start an
environmental movement
that would alter
industrial practices and
human consumption. The
event inspired the US
Congress to pass clean
air and water acts and
to establish the
Environmental Protection
Agency.

Since the first event
in 1970, the holiday has
been an annual event for
people around the world
to celebrate the earth
and renew their
commitment to building a
safer, healthier and
cleaner world. Although
Earth Day is not a
federal holiday, it has
helped Americans realize
that they can and should
do something to protect
the environment.